ON THE GARDEN PATH by Carolyn Herriot
• At the time of writing it’s Earthweek, a great time to be reminded of the Earth Charter created as a follow-up to the 1992 Earth Summit. The document was developed over a decade of extensive international consultation and in this column I’d like to share an extract from their website. I also encourage you to read...

ON THE GARDEN PATH by Carolyn Herriot
• Contrary to general belief, growing food doesn’t have to be a lot of work. Cognizant that most of us lead busy lives, this planting month of March I’m going to share some shortcuts for growing the maximum amount of food in the minimum amount of time.
Successful soil building: Mulch the garden with...

ON THE GARDEN PATH by Carolyn Herriot
• I suppose it was predictable that, once the ‘corporate giants’ got their hands on the organic food sector, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) would discover pesticide residues on almost 50% of ‘organic’ fruit and vegetable samples as they did in recent tests. Many consumers now have doubts about how...

ON THE GARDEN PATH by Carolyn Herriot
• If asked to name one book that had a profound influence on my life, it would be Masaru Emoto’s Love Thyself: The Message From Water 111. In 1994, Emoto had the idea to freeze water and photograph the resulting snow crystals under an electron microscope. From the water of pristine rivers and lakes, he observed...

ON THE GARDEN PATH by Carolyn Herriot
• They say the 60s are the new 40s so at the start of yet another year, in my sixth decade of life, I have decided to reinvent myself. However, it came as a bit of a shock to discover this rebirth also involves a change of residence. Timing is everything in life so I checked my body and it said, “Yes.” It had one more...

ON THE GARDEN PATH by Carolyn Herriot
• I used to I turn my nose up at turnips before I began growing them myself, after which my opinion of this ‘lowly’ root vegetable changed. I discovered them to be not only easy to grow, but also very tasty whether boiled, baked or roasted.
Turnips – Brassica rapa – are annuals grown for their...

ON THE GARDEN PATH by Carolyn Herriot
• Recently, while driving in my Smart car, I heard the following on CBC radio: “In 10 years time, 75% of Canada’s farmers will have retired.” My thoughts immediately turned to where the food will come from in the future. Today, about 70-80% of organic products in Canada are imported, primarily from the US. The...

ON THE GARDEN PATH by Carolyn Herriot
• “And God said, “Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.” (Genesis 1:29)
This bible quote runs through my head at harvest time as I gather in the seeds and fruit of my...

ON THE GARDEN PATH by Carolyn Herriot
• A “zero-mile diet” involves meal planning around crops in season as well as preserving the harvest for year-round eating. Preserving food from the garden ranges from basic cool storage for winter squash and root crops (i.e. onions and potatoes) to freezing, canning, dehydrating and fermenting. It may sound time...

ON THE GARDEN PATH by Carolyn Herriot
• As an organic gardener, I know from experience it’s the birds, bees and butterflies, along with myriad beneficial insects, that keep the plants in my garden healthy and pest-free. I respect wildlife and rely on a diversity of plants to keep my garden in harmony with nature. So much food today is grown in the absence...